


When it Rains......

by excel



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-22
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-31 16:36:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3985156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/excel/pseuds/excel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Asami struggles with some confidence issues, until a bored waitress helps her out with some words of advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

When it rains, the entire world tries to turn grey. The clouds form a solid blanket overhead. The rain itself permeates everything. The sewers overflow, gardens uproot, people become soggy misshapen versions of themselves. However, color persists, existing everywhere. Splashes of color reflected in puddles. Colors refracting off raindrops. Colors popping into existence as a straggler in the rain pops open her black and red polka dot umbrella. But most of all, color persists within our hearts. The color blue, as a lonely woman absentmindedly window shops, missing her faraway husband. Red, as an angry man argues with his business partner, who accidently sold their entire stock to a rival company. Green, as a friend listens to a story of success on a park bench. Grey, as a waitress lazily cleans a counter, bored out of her mind. 

This particular waitress had decided that making coffee and cleaning counters was not what she would like to be doing right now. She would rather be lying in bed, listening to the rain. The inactivity was the complete opposite of her usual hobbies, which consisted of working out, studying, and goofing around with her friends. Oh, and did she mention working out? Frankly, she didn’t know much about making coffee or cooking at all. She had moved into the city recently, to take classes in politics. Not knowing much about the city, she realized that she would need a job to be able to pay for the large amounts of food she ate every day. 

Currently the diner she worked in was without a doubt, no questions asked, emptier than Fire Lord Ozai’s heart. Not a single customer had their soaking butts on Korra’s seats, and she was contemplating taking a nap in one of the booths. Just as she was scoping out which seat was the least likely to give her a MRSA infection, the door swung open, causing rain to rush in, wind to blow Korra’s hair all over the place, and a young woman to sweep in. The woman slammed the door shut, and stood in the doorway, looking slightly windswept. 

The woman was wearing black boots, maroon leggings, and a long black overcoat. She wore a beany over her long, shiny, curly, omigodisitreal raven hair. Her clothes looked designer. The woman stepped forward, and plopped herself onto one of the stools in front of the counter, hair bouncing. She immediately dug her smartphone out of her bag. Korra stood and stared as the woman began scrolling on her phone. 

“Uhm, can I help yo-“  
“Hang on,” She said, holding one finger up, still not looking up. Korra waited, slightly dumbfounded as the woman finished whatever it was that she was doing. “Okay,” she began. “I hear you have the best cherry pie in the city. So I’ll have some of that. And…maybe some hot chocolate? Please?” she finished, finally glancing up. Korra’s stomach flipped as her eyes met with the very green pair of the woman’s. She had never seen green eyes like that, was all. Nothing weird here people!

“Uh, sure,” Korra said, still not moving. The two girls held eyes for a moment, the strange woman’s eyebrow slowly lifting as Korra did nothing. “Right, pie, chocolate, coming right up.” Korra swung around, quickly grabbing pie, a mug, and ingredients for hot chocolate. Her back prickled as she thought of the woman behind her. She didn’t normally react like this. There was something about the woman that struck Korra as different. Special. Perhaps it was the way she moved, or talked. Or breathed. Or existed. Something like that. 

After a moment, Korra swung back around, placing a slice of pie and a steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of the stranger. “Whipped cream?” Korra asked. 

“Please, on both.” The woman glanced up from her phone, and smiled. Korra silently scooped whipped cream. Tasks finished, Korra wandered further down the counter, pretending to clean a spot on the counter that she had scrubbed about 15 minutes previously. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the woman. She took small sips from her hot chocolate and nibbled on her pie. Her face looked…sad. Tired. Korra wondered what was wrong. She didn’t look as if she were having money problems. A girl like that certainly wouldn’t be having boy troubles…would she? Korra waited what she felt was an appropriate amount of time, and wandered back over to the woman. 

“How’s the food? Taste okay?” she asked.  
The woman looked up, and set her phone on the table. “It’s great thank you.” 

“If you don’t mind me saying, you look kinda sad. Is it the weather?” Korra asked, propping her elbows on the counter. She felt like one of those bartenders in the movies, listening to her patron’s worries, helping them forget their problems in the drink. Or pie. Asami blinked, unsure what to say to this complete stranger who was asking personal questions. 

“The weather? Not really. It’s just…family stuff I guess. My dad has a lot of expectations for me, and it’s hard, is all.” 

“I hear ya. My dad is a politician, and wants me to follow in his footsteps. I totally want to, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that his people love him and it’ll be hard to fill his shoes. Is you dad like that too?” 

“Kind of, except my dad is in jail and everyone hates him.”

“Oh.” Well that was incredibly awkward and Korra wished there was a hole, anywhere, seriously, that she could crawl into. 

The woman smiled sheepishly at Korra’s expression. “Sorry, I’m an asshole don’t take me seriously. Though my dad did mess up and it’s kind of on me to save my company. I didn’t mean to take it out on you though. Sorry.” Korra scratched the back of her neck, and threw a crooked smile at the woman. 

“No worries, sorry for being nosy though, that never helps.” Korra started to turn away, when a thought struck her. “Listen, this may not mean much from a stranger, but you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. Listen to it, and your heart, and you can never be disappointed with the choices you make. Because they are yours after all, when nothing else seems that way.” Pleased with her words of wisdom, Korra did turn away this time, walking into the back to check on her ovens. Thinking retrospectively, she wasn’t sure if what she had said to the woman made any sense. But hey, what could it hurt? Those words had stayed with Korra for a long time, and helped her through many a tough time, especially when people had disagreed with her values and the way she dealt with situations. 

Returning to the front, she found the woman still in her seat, staring at Korra. She was startled to see tears running down her cheeks. Her green eyes shone even brighter. 

“H-hey I didn’t mean to make you cry, I mean, that was s-supposed to be inspirational! I’m so sorry, I-“ 

The woman laughed, cutting Korra’s words off. 

“Don’t apologize. It’s just that you’re the first person in a long time to give me advice like that, to listen to myself. Thank you…Korra.” She smiled, reading off Korra’s nametag. “Listen, thanks again. I think I’d better get back to that meeting I ran out of, huh?” The woman stood, taking a last bite of her pie. She slipped some cash out of her wallet, and placed it in front of Korra. “Keep the change.” With that she tossed her hair and left the building, leaving Korra feeling shocked, awed, and slightly confused. Looking down at the cash, she saw that the woman had left a 50 yuon bill, and a business card. The card was simple, with only the woman’s name printed in glossy black ink.  
Asami Sato, it read. Korra stared at the card. Asami. What a strong, beautiful name. It suited her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra didn't really expect to see Asami Sato again. Feeling resigned to endless rainstorms and cleaning a diner she had no real passion for, Korra is relieved when the other woman shows up after a couple of weeks.

There wasn’t much worse, in Korra’s opinion, than working in a diner. Continuously mopping up puddles all day in said diner definitely fit the category. Korra could honestly say that she had never mopped so much in her entire life. She had probably mopped that diner floor more this week than she had the entire time she had worked there. She certainly had mopped it more times than her own floor at home. 

Needless to say, the rain that had plagued Republic City had not stopped. Storm drains overflowed. Cars sloshed through puddles, carelessly drenching pedestrians. Soggy boots lay next to stoves, owners desperately trying to get them dry before their next outing. Even the most diehard rain fanatics secretly wished for a bit of sunshine to dry up for even a day or two. Korra, who hails from the Southern Water Tribe, was one such person. As much as she loved water, if she had to mop up one more puddle she was going to go absolutely irrevocably INSANE. Seriously. 

The only thing keeping her somewhat sane at the moment was her friend Bolin, who was currently spinning on one of the counter stools, scattering pie crumbs all over her perfectly clean (for now) floor. Bolin was a boy of average height, with adorably mussed up hair, green eyes, and enough muscle to keep a bear busy, if one ever decided to take Bolin on. Bolin and Korra were about the same age, and attended the same university. In fact, they had met in a mutual class, physiology. Bolin had developed a crush on Korra early in their friendship. Korra did not reciprocate his feelings, and several weeks of awkward conversations and eye contact avoidance had followed. Bolin had finally stopped treating Korra like she had a contagious disease. He was over his crush, and the two were best friends. 

“Korra,” Bolin whined, slumping over the counter. “I’m so bored, how much of this do you have left?” 

“I have two more hours, Bolin. I think you can live.” Korra swiped at the counter with her rag, annoyed. “If you’re really bored, why don’t you go out? Isn’t Opal off soon?” 

“Yeah, in about ten minutes.” Bolin’s face lit up, and suddenly he looked very much like an overgrown school boy with a crush. “She’s so pretty, and smart, and smells so good, I can’t wait to see her!” Bolin sighed happily, gazing off somewhere in the vicinity of the coffee machine.  
Korra snorted. “Go on lover boy, you want to leave now and meet her right when she’s off, yea? Run along.” 

Bolin stood up, looking at Korra uncertainly. “Are you sure? I could stay, I know how bored you are.” Bolin looked as if he wanted to bolt. 

“Go on, it’s okay. You can visit me next time.” Bolin grinned widely, grabbed Korra in a tight hug, and dashed out the door into the rain. 

Soon after Bolin left Korra slipped into what she likes to call a waking coma. She continued to keep an eye on and clean the diner while basically sleeping on her feet. 

After what seemed like way longer than ten minutes, the door above the diner jingled. Korra emerged from her coma, turning to look at the newcomer. 

Korra recognized her. 

It had been two weeks since Korra had spoken to Asami Sato. The encounter had left Korra puzzled and contemplative for the rest of that day, however the experience was not so impressive that she had brooded over it. Regardless, Korra was surprised at how easily she recognized the other woman, especially since her hair was pulled up into a damp ponytail, her rumpled gym clothes so much different than the classy business wear she had met her in. 

Asami flashed a sweet smile at Korra, who promptly dropped the rag she was holding. Blushing, she quickly reached down to pick it up. While Korra fumbled beneath the counter, Asami moved forward and plopped into a bar stool. 

“Hey,” Asami began, “It’s good to see you again. Busy today?” 

Korra stood up straight, and busied herself with grabbing Asami a cup of coffee. “Not so much. I’ve been in a coma ‘til you just walked in. Can I get you anything?” 

Asami smiled, and accepted the cup of coffee, warming her hands gratefully. “Yes please. I never did get to finish that impressive pie the last time I was here, before I ran off. Could I try that again?” 

“Sure thing!” Korra grabbed a slice of pie and placed it in front of Asami, remembering to scoop a generous amount of whipped cream on top of it. “So, what brings you to this part of Republic City? It seems kind of grubby for a business lady.” Korra leaned forward onto her forearms on the counter, achieving a more comfortable pose for her tired feet.

Asami took a delicate bite of pie, pausing to savor the taste. “My mom and I used to come here a lot. Plus, it’s nice to get away from the business politics occasionally.” 

“What kind of business are you in?” 

“Engineering, and some odds and ends,” Asami shrugged. Her mood seemed to shift to a darker place, and Korra decided to steer them away from the topic. 

“Well it’s really nice to see you again, I thought I was going to die of boredom for a while there.” 

The taller woman smiled again. Be still, my beating heart, Korra thought to herself. That smile was entirely unfair. 

“Glad to help save a life,” Asami joked, placing a hand on Korra’s forearm. Korra’s eyes widened at the warmth of her hand, noticing a slight roughness from her slim fingers. An engineer huh? Asami took her hand from Korra’s arm and resumed eating her pie. She seemed unaware of how Korra had reacted to her touch. Her arm still felt the warmth and a pleasant tingling sensation. As Asami munched on her pie, the other girl turned away, choosing to stack some clean glasses. 

“You in school?” Asami asked behind her. 

Without turning, Korra said, “Yep, I don’t have a major yet though.” Korra turned around to explain. “I’m having a tough time choosing between something like politics or social work, or even nursing. I really want to help people. So I’ve ended up taking a mish mash of different classes like sociology, anatomy, microbiology, law and ethics, and all kinds of different things.” 

“Wow, sounds tough.” 

“I guess,” Korra replied. “I had just better decide soon.” The two women fell silent for a time after this. Korra took this opportunity to take peeks at Asami while she ate. She was looking down, and Korra could just make out glints of dewy emerald through her killmenow eyelashes. Her lips were a bright ruby color, and Korra began to wonder if Asami was secretly a robot made from precious gems. Her skin was creamy and looked very soft. She wished she could prove her theory. Korra blushed to herself. She had never had thoughts like this about another women before. She quickly shuffled the unsettling thoughts to the back of her head and forced herself to think of the handsome actor she had seen in one of Bolin’s movers. 

Lost in her thoughts, Korra did not notice when Asami began taking peeks of her own. “What’s your name again?” She asked. 

Korra started in surprise. “Oh! I forgot to put my name on, holy crap. I’m Korra, nice to officially meet you.” She reached forward to grasp Asami’s hand in a firm shake. She met Asami’s green eyes with her own, and again noticed how her touch made her skin tingle as if an electrical current was coming from her. She must be a robot. There was no other explanation. 

Suddenly Asami’s cell phone rang, and the two girls immediately let go of each other’s hands as if they were burned. 

“Hey, this is Asami,” Asami silently mouthed an apology to Korra, before listening to her earpiece carefully. “No I’m just at a diner, what are you up to?.....No, I’m not too busy.” Korra’s stomach began to sink in inexplicable disappointment. “Sure, you can join me. Where are you at?....Okay, see you soon.” 

“Business partner?” Korra asked, sounding less than enthused at the loss of conversation between herself and the other woman.

“Not quite,” Asami began, “It’s my boyfriend, Mako.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the long delay on this! Work and concerts and whatnot got in the way. I got a lot of support to continue on with this story, and i hope you enjoy this new chapter, which i'm sure could be better. Please please please let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra feels awkward as she meets Asami's boyfriend...who she happens to know quite well. The group goes to a club and things get...interesting

As if things couldn’t get more awkward, Korra happened to know Asami’s boyfriend. In fact, Korra had dated Mako. Their relationship had ended after an intense six months, full of both fiery passion and explosive arguments. Mako and Korra had maintained a subdued friendship afterwards. Both cared for each other enough that they would do anything for each other, however they were definitely not as easygoing as they were before they started dating. 

Mako looked understandably surprised to see Korra chatting with his girlfriend when he walked into the small diner, shaking rain out of his hair.  
“Korra? You work here too?” Korra had only recently started at the diner, along with the gym and at a small yoga place near the college. 

“Uh, hey Mako. Yep, I work here too, if you can call this working.” She swept her arm in a weak gesture at the empty shop. 

Asami blinked as she watched the transaction between the two. “You two know each other?” 

“I could ask the same thing,” Korra mumbled. Mako stepped further into the shop, unwinding his scarf and plopping into the seat next to Asami. 

“We’ve known each other for a while,” Mako began. “Korra is best friends with my little brother, Bolin. Korra, this is Asami, my girlfriend.” 

Korra gave a halfhearted salute to Asami. “We’ve sorta met before. When did you start dating?” 

“We met when I hit him with my moped about two weeks ago,” Asami said, a slight blush to her cheeks. “I took him to dinner to apologize, and the rest is history.” Mako placed his hand over Asami’s and smiled. 

A dark coil of emotion squirmed in Korra’s stomach. She wasn’t sure why she felt this way. She was sure she didn’t have any feelings for Mako left.

Korra took a deep breath. “Well,” she started on an exhale, hoping to change the subject. “Mako would you like something to eat? Drink?” 

“Sure, a turkey sandwich and some tea would be awesome.” Mako said as he took a large bite of Asami’s forgotten pie. Korra shuffled into the kitchen to prepare the food. She went on autopilot as she slapped ingredients together, remembering how Mako liked his sandwich prepared. While she boiled some more tea, she heard Mako and Asami’s quiet voices behind her. 

“How long have you two known each other?” Asami’s rich voice asked. 

“For a couple years now…” Mako answered. The pause in his words was obvious and Asami didn’t miss a beat. 

“What are you not telling me?” 

“We…well we were sort of a couple…” Silence met Korra’s ears as Asami took in that news. 

“Where you serious?” 

“For a time, but there’s nothing there anymore, honest.” Mako answered quickly, making Korra’s stomach hurt a little more. “We mostly fought a lot.” 

Not bearing to hear Asami’s reply to this, Korra swept out of the kitchen, placing Mako’s sandwich in front of him. His ears turned bright red, obviously feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He seized the sandwich up immediately and took a huge bite. 

“Mmm, Fanks Korra thif if grea.” He swallowed thickly. “You even remembered to crush potato chips into it, thanks!” Korra shrugged and walked a ways down the counter, and began polishing glasses. 

Korra gloomily spaced out as she listened to the couple make conversation down the bar, occasionally hearing Asami’s hearty laughter. Korra’s head snapped back up as she heard their stools scrape backwards. The two were standing and pulling on their coats. Korra felt both relieved and disappointed at the same time. 

“Well, Korra, we’re off.” Asami said almost apologetically. 

“Sure, see you guys around?” Korra asked. 

“Actually,” Asami glanced uncertainly at Mako. “Would you like to go out with us tonight? We’re going to the club with Bolin and Opal.” Korra blinked. “I mean, I get it if you don’t want to go, but I promise you would have fun.” Korra thought that Asami was being incredibly generous with this offer, especially since she had just learned that she was Mako’s ex.

Korra hesitated for a moment, contemplating. “Sure, I’ll go. What time?” 

“How about we meet there at ten. See you then!” With that Mako and Asami left the diner, hand in hand. 

\---------------------------------------------  
Korra walked up the wet sidewalk, hands stuffed in pockets. It was five till eleven and she had almost arrived at the club. It had taken Korra forever to get ready, as she tried to pick out an outfit and fought with herself about bailing out. Her chest churned with anxiety, and she desperately hoped that she would have a good time. She had decided on wearing a pair of tight fitting jeans, converse (good comfortable dancing shoes, right?), a white tanktop, and a sleeveless jean jacket to show off her toned arms and the tattoo on her right bicep. She had decided to leave her hair in its normal style, two wolf tails in front and a high pony in the back. Korra soon made it to the front door of the club, and wearily gave her ID to the bouncer. The moment she stepped through the door, a high pitched squealing met her ears. She turned in time to see two girls rushing at her. 

“KOOOOORRRRRAAAAAA!!!” They screamed as they crashed into her. 

“Whoa! Hey guys,” Korra said, as she finally recognized the two girls. It was Asami and Opal, and oh boy, were they drunk.

“Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re here! You never come out!” Opal slurred, as she played with one of Korra’s wolftails. 

Asami was still draped over Korra’s shoulders, giggling happily. “I’m so glad I met you!” She shouted. Korra was soon dragged off to play flip cup, which she was proud to say she was excellent at. The game got her tipsy quite quickly. Soon after that, Korra’s anxiety was gone. She, Opal, and Asami danced with abandon, twirling, dropping low, and jumping with no real choreography. 

Soon enough, however, Mako and Bolin joined the dancing, and Korra was left to dance alone. She must have been drunker than she had realized because next thing she knew she was dancing closely with a tall man, his hands on her hips. He was likely fire nation. She was pretty sure they had never met.

“Korra, come on,” She heard to her right. She kept dancing. “Korra! Come on!” she heard again, this time feeling a small hand pulling at her wrist. She let her self be pulled away, and turned to see that Asami was dragging her to the bathroom. “Sorry, I just needed a bathroom break. You doing okay?” Korra nodded and hopped up onto the counter, feet jiggling to the beat of the music. Asami dabbed at her forehead, trying to clean off the sweat from dancing. “Do I still look okay?” 

Even sweaty, Asami’s hair looked perfect. “Yep, yep,” Korra answered absently. “Super good. Yep.” 

Suddenly, Asami’s hands were grabbing Korra’s face, pulling it towards her own. Their lips crashed together, and began moving against each other. Just as Korra realized what was happening, it was over. Asami pulled away, grinning. 

“What was that?’ Korra asked, wondering if she had just imagined it. She was still quite drunk, after all, and she had only just met this girl. This wasn’t a logical situation, was it?

“Just checking,” Asami said, before tossing her hair and leaving the room. Korra hopped off the counter and followed, absently wiping lipstick off her face, still wondering at what had just happened. Right outside the bathroom, she almost ran into Asami again, who was chatting with Mako. Korra’s face turned bright red as she saw them. 

“Hey Korra, you look pretty drunk, having fun?” Mako asked. 

“Uh, yea….uh dancing, and drinking and stuff…” Korra stammered. She turned and walked back to the dancefloor. After that, and several more drinks, Korra was too drunk to really think, let alone dwell on the kiss that may or may not have happened, with someone she had just met, who was Mako’s new girlfriend. Mako’s new GIRL friend. 

What had she just gotten herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the incredibly long wait, and the short chapter. I know this is a little different but I needed to shake things up. I promise the next one will be longer. In case any of you are skeptical about how realistic the situation that korra just got herself in is, just know this is similar to something that totally happened to me once! Anyway hope you like, even though its short and in a new setting. Angst soon to come! let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra tries to deal with the aftermath of her club outing with Asami. A task easier said than done, she finds out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some angst

To say Korra was confused was a massive understatement. Korra had spent the day after her strange club incident anxiously awaiting some sort of response --positive, negative, ANYTHING—from Asami. Her anxiety spiked through the roof when Asami had finally entered Korra’s diner. As she served Asami her coffee and pie, she worked hard to keep a blush from rising to her cheeks, and couldn’t help but avoid her eyes. Oddly enough, Asami hadn’t said a word about it, and Korra began to wonder if it even happened at all. This thought was quickly squashed when Opal texted Korra to ask every detail of the kiss she witnessed between Korra and Asami. She told Korra that she had asked Asami about what happened, and Asami had simply said, “Korra’s a good kisser.” Did this mean that Asami was into Korra? Did it mean she was just an intimate drunk? There was no end to Korra’s wonderings, and she vowed to keep a careful eye on Asami, in case she dropped any hints. Opal promised to report any details she could get as well.

Weeks passed, and the rain that had plagued Republic City had stopped. The soggy streets finally began to dry. However, Korra felt as if the rain had continued in her head and heart, creating a grey storm of emotions. 

 

\---------------- 

 

One sunny afternoon, the bell above the diner door jingled merrily, and Korra lifted her head to look at the newcomer. Korra was not surprised to see Asami walk through the doors. A few months had passed since the two began spending time together, and they had quickly become best friends. For Korra, however, her feelings were growing quite a bit stronger. Opal was worried for Korra, believing that she was not being true to her heart by not telling Asami about how she really felt. The kiss that they had shared still had not come up. 

“Hey Korra,” Asami said cheerfully. “How’s the diner running today?” 

Korra smiled crookedly at her friend. “Great, busier now that the rain has stopped. I’ve almost sold out of your favorite pie. Good think I saved you a piece right?” 

“Korra, I love you. Thank you.”   
Korra swallowed thickly, not trusting her words, and just smiled. She turned after a moment to place the pie on a clean plate for Asami. “Coffee today?” She finally managed to blurt out. 

“Nah, can I just have some water? I just went for a run and I’m parched.” Korra filled a clear glass, and turned to look at Asami. She did look tired, and her makeup was slightly mussed up, which is something that Korra had never seen before. 

“You went for a run? Are you okay?” Korra knew Asami well enough to know that if she went running, something was wrong. 

“I’m fine.” Asami said, looking away. 

“You aren’t fooling me Asami, what happened.” Asami stayed silent, and Korra leaned across the counter, staring at Asami intently. A few moments passed before Asami threw her hands up in frustration. 

“That’s not fair! You can’t use those ‘I’m going to get the answer even if I have to beat it out of you’ eyes!” 

“I wouldn’t have to if you would just tell me what’s up!” 

Asami pouted silently for a few minutes, before finally sighing in resignment. “Fine. Do you remember the first day we met, and you gave me advice, and told me to follow my heart?”

Korra nodded, gesturing for Asami to continue.

“Right, well, I screwed up today, and I lost a ton of money. I’m going to have to lay off a bunch of my staff and sell a lot of my new merchandise at a lower price to make up my losses. I screwed up so bad Korra. My mom, would be so disappointed in me.” Asami choked on the last sentence, and lifted a hand to the bridge of her nose to staunch her tears. 

Korra’s heart twisted in sympathy. She would like nothing more than to brush away Asami’s tears and tell her everything would be fine. She would have to tread more carefully than that. “Listen Asami,” she began, “I know right now you are feeling like you messed up, but, as cliché as this sounds, everything happens for a reason. Sure, you lost a lot of money, and workers, but this just gives you room to grow! This gives you a reason to work on projects you didn’t have the time or room to work on before. Weren’t you thinking about making a mobile phone or something? And if you lay off your workers in the right way, they may be willing to come back when you’re back on your feet. Don’t give up yet!” 

Asami sniffed and wiped her cheeks delicately with a handkerchief. “Maybe you’re right. Thanks Korra.” 

Korra grinned crookedly and pushed Asami’s pie closer to her. “You’re welcome. Things will turn out fine, you’ll see. I mess up all the time and no matter how much I stress, I wake up the next day and the world keeps on moving. Things keep on moving. I know it’s hard.”  
Asami nodded, eyes down, and took a nibble of her pie. 

“And Asami…I’m sorry about all of this.” 

“Why? It isn’t your fault.” 

“I know, I just wish I could fix things for you.” 

Asami opened her mouth to reply, when the bell above the door jingled again. Korra’s heart fell as she watched Mako strut to the counter. 

“Hey hun, how was your day?” Mako mumbled as he placed a quick kiss on Asami’s cheek. He sat on a stool and did a double take as he noticed Asami’s tear streaked cheeks. “What’s wrong?” 

Asami shrugged, quietly saying she had a bad day at work. 

“I’m sorry babe, why don’t I take you to dinner? We can go home after and watch a mover or something. I can make your day better.” Asami nodded and they both stood up. 

“Bye Korra,” They said in unison. Korra smiled at them weakly. The door jingled once more, and Korra looked down at Asami’s half eaten pie. The pie looked how she felt. Half demolished. The pie began to blur as Korra’s eyes filled with tears. This will be harder than she imagined, she thought, as she watched her tears fall like rain onto the counter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, as always, comments and whatnot appreciated. Sorry for the long delay, writers block and summer stuff got in the way. Anyway, enjoy this rather short chapter, hopefully i'll write more, and more frequently as I procrastinate my online classes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mover night! ;)

Nursing school was hard. Really hard. Korra had finally chosen her major, and she didn’t think she could have picked a harder one. Deadlines, clinicals, and tests kept Korra as busy as it gets. She actually had to cut back on hours at the diner. Which meant she was also broke. All the time. When Asami had asked Korra why she had picked nursing, Korra had been unable to verbalize a reason. Something about her main purpose being to help people, to be a patient advocate, really struck a chord with her. A close family friend, Katara, had also been a healer. That kind of made sense, right? Regardless, Korra was enjoying her new major, and she hoped that it would stay that way. 

Korra’s social life had also taken a hit from her busy schedule. Which was why Asami was coming over that night for movers and popcorn. Korra was stubbornly telling herself that she was over her weird girl crush. They hadn’t seen each other for two weeks. 

Korra was currently washing her dishes (couldn’t have a messy house with Asami coming over, what would she think?) and listening to music. She hummed and bobbed her head along with the smooth beats, concentrating on the lead singer’s silky voice. 

“You’re dripping like a saturated sunrise, you’re spilling like a--EEEEEEEEK!!!!” Korra screeched as a hand grabbed her shoulder. She whipped around, brandishing a soapy frying pan. She blinked as she saw a head of raven hair duck down, right in time to dodge her swing. Her arm went limp, and she drooped against the counter, clutching her heart. “A-Asami, what is wrong with you, I could have killed you!” Asami was currently crouched on the linoleum, arms over her head, grocery bags of snack foods scattered around her. 

“I didn’t expect you to freak out! You usually hear me come in!” Asami carefully unwrapped her arms and peeked up at Korra.

“I was blasting music, I can’t hear anything!” Korra gasped. 

“Well geez, turn it down when you’re expecting, would you?” Asami and Korra stared at each other for a beat, before dissolving in giggles. After a time, Asami clutching a stitch in her side, the two girls hobbled to the couch with the bags of snacks. Asami had gotten everything good, nerd ropes, microwave popcorn, jerky sticks (which Korra called meat sticks every time they were in public to embarrass Asami), hard rootbeer, gummy bears, and so much more. It didn’t take much time for the girls to decide on a mover. 

“The Conjuring?” Korra had asked. “Is it any good?” 

“We have to watch it now.” Asami stated simply. 

The two hopped onto Korra’s well-worn couch. The thing was ridiculously squishy, and Asami and Korra couldn’t help but slide towards each other. Korra’s neck heated up, their bodies were smashed together. She silently blessed her failing couch springs. 

Several minutes of the movie passed, and Asami began munching on gummy bears, having seen the movie before. Korra, who was new to The Conjuring, and surprisingly uneasy when it came to scary movies, pulled the blanket up to her nose, waiting for the oogies to jump out. She heard a soft chuckle at her side. Glaring up at Asami, she found the older girl smirking down at her. 

“Scared?” She asked mischievously. 

“Jerk, you know I get into scared movies easily. Don’t make fun of me.” 

“Careful when you go to the bathroom. I might get my revenge for you almost wrecking me earlier.” 

“JERK. You know how bathrooms freak me out, especially when watching scary movies!” Asami laughed out loud. “You suck,” Korra said, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. 

Asami and Korra both fell silent for a bit, concentrating on the movie. Korra jumped as something spooky jumped off a closet. “OOOGIES!!!” She shrieked. Asami started to laugh again, and Korra realized that she had almost pushed Asami off the couch in her attempt to get behind her. Korra carefully extracted herself, and settled in her original seat. Asami, still laughing, threw an arm around Korra’s shoulders, and pulled her close to her side. For some reason, Korra didn’t seem to understand much of the mover after that. She lost the mover comeply 

The Conjuring ended. A while after that, and while Asami picked the next movie, Korra had to stand up to shake the jitteriness out of her muscles. Sitting that close to Asami for that long was almost like torture for Korra, though she didn’t dare move away. The smell of her perfume, the feeling of her hair sliding against her skin as she tilted her head this way or that, the look of her perfect porcelain skin, Korra had to fight not to press her lips against it. 

“I do not have a crush on her.” She mumbled to herself in the kitchen. Then she sighed, who was she kidding. One does not have random urges to kiss her bestfriend’s silky white smooth amazing skin willy nilly. If only she didn’t have a stupid boyfriend, she thought to herself. Returning to the living room, she found that Asami had put on a romantic comedy. Great. 

Settling on the couch again, Korra didn’t dare get as close to Asami as she had been before. This movie was not one that required close-contact comfort. She struggled to keep herself from being disappointed. The two ended up talking through most of the mover. Apparently Mako and Asami were having a lot of fights lately. Mako was too serious and awkward for Asami, and Asami was too invested in her work to spend time with Mako. Korra was secretly pleased that she had made time for her. 

“I think I might break up with him.” Asami sighed.

“You don’t think you could make things work?” Korra asked slowly, testing the waters. 

“I don’t know, maybe. I just don’t feel happy with him anymore. There’s no spark.” 

“Spark is important,” Korra agreed. “You’re lucky you have someone right now though. I wish I had someone like that, I don’t see it happening anytime soon. You sure you want to lose that?” Korra asked. 

“You don’t think you will find anyone?” 

“Not really,” Korra said simply, staring at a tear in the carpet. 

“Well I’m sure you will,” Asami began, “You just need to find that person that you do have a spark with.” She paused, and Korra looked up at her. “I know I felt a spark with you when I kissed you at the bar.” 

Korra stared for a heartbeat, stunned. Asami had finally brought it up. What should she say? How should she act? Was Asami just trying to make her feel better, or was she serious? Should she ask? Anxiety bubbled up into her chest and she laughed shakily. “Yea, what was that all about?” 

Asami turned toward her fully, and looked down at her with half-lidded eyes. Korra could lose herself forever in those emerald green pools. She almost flinched as she felt Asami’s fingers slide into the hair at the back of her neck. Her heart thudded so hard she worried that Asami would hear it as she began to lean in. Before she could react, Asami’s smooth lips, slick with makeup touched her own, sliding over her mouth with an expertise that was missing the night at the bar. Korra melted into the kiss as Asami gently pulled at the hairs at the back of her neck. She was unsure how much time had passed. Explosions erupted in her stomach, and sparks seemed to dance between their lips. Goosebumps erupted along Korra’s arms and she wondered distantly how she could be cold when she was on fire. Too soon, Asami was pulling away. She opened her eyes slowly, unwilling for the moment to end. 

“Well? Any sparks?” Asami asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god i am so sorry that i cannot seem to update sooner. Hope you like, things should be moving right along now. Suggestions and comments always more than welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lets take a turn into Asami's point of view.

Chapter 6

Asami panted deeply. A shiver crossed over her as sweat dried upon her cooling skin. The world slowed as she came down, the wooden beams of her four poster bed came into focus. A strong arm pulled a blanket over her and tugged her close. She turned her head and met a pair of red-brown eyes. Mako reached forward and tucked a piece of damp hair behind Asami’s ear. 

“How was that for you?” he asked quietly. 

Asami smiled weakly and kissed him in answer. She rolled over and tucked a fist under her cheek, and tried to convince herself that she didn’t desperately wish that those red-brown eyes were replaced by a pair of cerulean blue ones. 

Korra was crazy busy with school. She was working less and less shifts at the diner and Asami was running out of excuses to see her. Korra was fun and beautiful, and understood her better than anyone. Even Mako. However the friendship made Asami uneasy. She couldn’t get the feel of Korra’s slightly chapped lips out of her head. When she had kissed Korra at the bar, she tried to convince herself that she was only experimenting, to see how good of a kisser the other girl was. The only problem was that it didn’t explain last night. Right in the middle of their mover marathon, Asami had had a burning desire to kiss Korra again, to feel those lips against her own once more. This was not normal best friend behavior right? She shouldn’t be feeling this way. She had a great job, a great boyfriend. So why was she pining for something that she just couldn’t have? Korra was off limits. And Asami didn’t like girls anyway, did she? 

These thoughts had caused her to have a dark pit of anxiety rolling in her stomach ever since the night at the bar. It had been weeks since that night, and the feeling had not passed. Had she ruined everything when she kissed Korra at her apartment? Neither girl had been drunk, and she had no excuse for her behavior. After the kiss the girls had turned back to the movie, neither commenting on what had just happened. Asami had noticed a pink tint to Korra’s cheeks. An electrical current coursed between the two. When Asami had left Korra’s, she drove directly to Mako’s apartment, and had taken out her pent up sexual energy on him. She felt awful, almost as if she had cheated on Mako, even though he was the one she had slept with.

A few days had passed, and Asami had spent them blissfully alone. Her head began to clear, and she began to think about what, and who, really mattered. Asami glanced at her coffee table. Her phone was hidden under a mess of books and dvd cases. Pulling it out, she saw several notifications from Mako, wondering what she was up to and why she was ignoring his calls, Korra, who continued to send funny memes despite her lack of communication, and Opal, asking her to coffee. She supposed that it was time to come out of hiding, and grudgingly dialed a series of numbers into her phone. 

Two hours later, Asami sat at a hip coffee shop, at a table next to a window. The sun was slanting through large windows, and she had to keep her sunglasses on even indoors, as her eyes adjusted from her three day hermit session. The coffee shop was decidedly cool, with vintage tables, mismatched chairs, paintings from local artists, and a general laidback aura. The place even had free books lying about, that you could take and leave as desired. Asami had just settled down with a dog-eared copy of a Stephanie Plum novel when Mako strolled through the doors. 

“Hey babe,” he said as he swooped down and kissed her cheek. Her stomach rolled as her anxiety reared its ugly head. 

“Hey Mako.” She said quietly, eyes down. How was it that she had decided to do this again?

“You said you had something you wanted to talk about? Where have you been?” Mako asked, eyes worried. 

“I needed some space for awhile.” No reason to delay the moment. “Mako, I think we’re done.” Mako’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped slightly in surprise. Asami took a deep breath and plowed on. “You’ve done nothing wrong. You are and always will be the perfect guy, and I hate to do this to you. But I…I’m just not happy anymore. My heads all confused, I…” Asami paused and pinched her nose. This was harder than she thought it would be. Mako remained silent, and she managed to glance up to his face. He was staring at something over her head. Jaw clenched, face shut down. Tears began to slide down her cheeks. Mako took a deep breath. 

“I get it.” He mumbled. Standing up, he reached forward and kissed her forehead. “I’m here if you ever need anything.” With that, he turned and walked out the door. 

Three more days passed. Asami spent them once more on her couch, this time much less happy. She felt awful. Mako really had been a great boyfriend, and she would have felt terrible to keep him caught up in her messed up emotions. Thinking back, he reacted exactly how she would have expected. Silently, and stoic, with a promise to care for her. Why had she given that up? Again, she had to argue with herself that keeping Mako while having thoughts about Korra (she wasn’t ready to admit her herself what exactly those thoughts meant). And so she continued in this matter, wallowing in self grief. 

On day four, three loud knocks on her door scared Asami out of her wits. She leapt off her couch, scattering empty tea cups and moon cake wrappers. She glanced down at herself. Was she decent? If a sports bra and sports shorts counted as decent, she was golden. She then turned to the mirror and grimaced as she took in her image. Her hair was a mess, her curls crumpled on one side. Her make up was smeared and her lipstick was non-existent. Another loud knock had her running to the bathroom to at least roll on some deodorant.   
Asami hurried to the door right in time to hear someone yell her name. She yanked the door open to find Korra, fist raised, ready to knock again. 

“Oh. Hey Asami.” Korra said distractedly as she took in her appearance. Asami swallowed thickly. Tears threatened to fall again as she realized how much she missed the girl. She wasn’t just a source of confusion for her, but a best friend. She squeezed her eyes shut and threw her arms around Korra’s neck.

After some time, the girls found themselves on Asami’s couch once more. Asami blurted out everything that had happened with Mako, leaving out the exact reasons that she left him. Korra didn’t question her at all, chiming in occasionally about how her own break up with Mako went, with lots of yelling and bittersweet goodbyes. They stayed up all night, eventually falling asleep, Asami’s head on Korra’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the mediocre writing, I needed to produce something at least after such a long time! I'm sorry that it is short :( any suggestions would be great!

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys, this is most likely a one-shot, unless people want to know what happens next. Let me know what you think! Sorry it's so short.


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